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Three more chances for Emmanuel Sanders to make your week

Emmanuel Sanders and CenturyLink are running around Denver giving out season tickets and autographed jerseys. You want in? Get in where you fit in and read this.

By ianhenson and Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann

We're sitting in a party bus that has just made its way from Mile High to an office parking lot in Arapahoe near where the Denver Broncos practice.

It's Tuesday, typically a player's day off, but Emmanuel Sanders is here waiting with Broncos' mascot Miles, cheerleaders Gioia and Faymie and Sanders' toddler son, Princeton.

CenturyLink is about to make one fan's entire year when the wide receiver will present an unsuspecting Jennifer Corboy with season tickets.

The surprise visit was week 1 of a multi-week #FastDash contest - a campaign with Century Link Colorado to reward fans with Broncos tickets and autographed memorabilia. Corboy works in a large office of around 100 people, none of whom know that everyone is about to rush in and surprise a fan with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Poor, unsuspecting pedestrians walking through the lobby have no idea what is happening as Miles, Faymie and Gioia wait for the elevator to take them to the fourth floor. There are balloons and cupcakes for no reason in particular and television cameras from Fox and probably CBS.

"Right now we're actually at Jennifer's job, we're getting ready to surprise her and that's going to bring a lot of positive energy inside of here, so we're excited about that," Sanders says as we begin the trek.

Minutes later we are in front of Corboy ... and she is ecstatic.

But the new winner does have to poise to point out that the jersey Sanders was wearing would fit her better than the one she was given by Century Link.

Whether Corboy took once-in-a-lifetime shot at telling Sanders to take his shirt off is not for me to decide, nor for you to judge.

I'm telling you, he could have run for Mayor of Denver that day and won; everyone in the office wanted to wish Sanders luck, take a picture with him, have him sign a shirt or a cubicle. Employees tweeted out their selfies with Miles, Faymie or Gioia.

The entire event turned out just as planned - to celebrate positivity, something Sanders has definitely brought with him to Denver.

Talking football

While the celebration was fun, I'm not just here to get pictures of Sanders (with or without his shirt on). I want to talk football.

"Our wide receiver corps is definitely the strength of our team," Sanders says, highlighting guys like Jordan Norwood, who came back from an ACL tear, and James Casey who just joined the Broncos in the offseason. "[Norwood] tore it up in the preseason. He's going to be big this year. I like Cody Latimer, I mean, we've got so many guys. Ronnie Hillman, I think Ronnie Hillman's going to have a major year. C.J. [Anderson]'s going to have a big year."

Sanders couldn't wait for the season to get started, as evidenced by his eight receptions against the Baltimore Ravens. And although there were many hiccups on offense, Sanders proved to be a stabilizing force, making key third-down conversions in the clutch.

I think we're pretty stacked as a team right now...but that doesn't mean anything. We've got to put the work in.  -Emmanuel Sanders

"I think that we're pretty stacked as a team right now, we just have to understand... Yeah, we've got a Super Bowl team on paper, but that doesn't mean anything. We've got to put the work in."

And Sanders assures us, the Broncos are doing that.

Plus, despite the concern over the Broncos' offense, what's not to be excited about four days after Sanders spent most of the Ravens game breaking free from coverage and finding extra yardage.

"At the end of this year, at the end of this season, somebody's going to crown a champion," Sanders tells me. "I'm hoping that it's us."

I ask him if there is a reverse in the playbook for him. With his signature laugh, I get this:

"Man, you're going to have to pay me for that!"

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To kick off the NFL season, CenturyLink and Sanders are connecting fans to their hometown team. Similar to last year's Fast Dash with Broncos cornerback Chris Harris, Jr., Sanders will post clues and instructions through Instagram (@emmanuelsanders) and Twitter (@ESanders_10), encouraging fans to be fast and creative with their answers. The promotion offers three more chances to win - Sept. 22, Sept. 29 and Oct. 6  (and you can get going on Contest No. 2, which was just posted Tuesday!)

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